Stark, Shopping, and Sydney

Hi ladies! I have some extremely exciting news to share with you! Influenster has now brought their famous Vox Boxes to Canada, and I was kindly sent one to show you.   I signed up with Influenster under the impression that they already shipped to Canada, so I was thrilled when I got the email asking for me to complete a survey to see if I qualify. The idea of Influenster is simple, using the power of social media and word of mouth, products are sent out to review, and they even have a collection of products on their site that are available for review, including videos games, and rarely do I see collective video game reviews from consumers.  The more you participate and let others know what you like, the higher chance you have of receiving your own Vox Box. Filled with new products surrounding a theme, these boxes arrive free of charge on the condition that the recipient lets the world know their thoughts on the products. Now that it's in Canada, I'll have to do a ...

Good morning girls! This month's Ipsy has arrived, and I've got to say, I'm pretty impressed this month. I remember as soon as "em" by Michelle Phan was announced, so many people thought that she would go ahead and put some em samples in Ipsy bags, considering she is the co-founder of Ipsy. It makes sense that it took her a couple of months to get everything sorted, and we all received full size em products this month, and I'm really satisfied with what I got. Starlooks Gem Eyeliner in Amethyst (Full Size: $15) - I'm looking forward to using this over the holidays. It's a slightly purple, silvery eyeliner without chunky glitter, something I absolutely hate. I've worn it for a day already, and the staying power is great. While I'm kind of tired of getting these Starlooks pencils in my bags, there's no denying that the quality is acceptable. For whatever reason, I forgot to take a picture of the actual pencil, but the swatch is pr...

Hi girls! This month has been excellent for empties. I didn't post any in the month of September because I didn't have enough, or anything too special that I just had to talk about. At the beginning of this month, so many products were on their last leg that I knew they'd all reach their end for this post.                                       From left to right: Cotton Rounds: They're in almost every empties post! I'll never go back to using cotton balls, I just find that these are better at evenly applying toner. Garnier Triple Nutrition Conditioner: This product took me ages to use. I've heard great things about it, but I don't understand the hype. It didn't do spectacular things for my hair, so I'll pass on it next time. Would Not Repurchase Avon Bubble Bath in Strawberry Shortcake: I really like Bubble Bath's from Avon. It's so much product for such little money, and the prett...

Good morning ladies! It felt like I was waiting for my Ipsy bag this month forever! I got my shipping email on the 10th and it didn't show up at my door (well, my neighbors door, for some reason) until the 21st. Though it was well worth the wait, I'm very happy with what I received. Zoya Nail Polish in Mason - $8 (Full size) Out of all the colours Ipsy was offering this month, this is the colour I wanted. It's a true jewel pink, shimmer and all, and I like how it's a little darker then the pinks that I own. It appears more purple on my nails than I would have liked, but it's totally gorgeous anyways.  Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay - $6 (My Size - 41 g) $18.95 (Full Size - 127 g)   I'm kind of confused about this product. From what I understand, spray on "clay" is usually used for texturizing, and I feel like my hair is way too long to really benefit from any kind of texture for styling. Hopefully, this product will do well as a h...

Good evening girls! It's been a good week or two since I posted, but not much has been going on over on my end. I did, however, go a little nuts at my Shoppers Drug Mart and have lots to share with you! I love Shoppers because of their points system. Basically, everytime you shop using your Optimum card, you earn points, and those points eventually add up to money that you can redeem. I always shop during their "20x The Points" events, and my fellow Canadians are probably familiar with the store and it's points system, because it's a great store for high end cosmetics, as well as drugstore. I wanted to earn some points today, and ended up with both points and a bunch of things! From left to right: Purminerals Bare It All Set: this caught my eye while I was working, it comes with a highlighter/bronzed duo, a lipstick, a liquid eyeliner pen, and a blush. This lot was an excellent value, and I thought it would be a nice way to get a peek of the brand. The...

I usually feel like I'm waiting for my Ipsy forever, right from when I find out what's going to be in it, right up until the tracking service says its been delivered. This month I've been so busy, that I almost forgot to check the sneak peeks! Overall, my bag was worth waiting for. Cailyn Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple - Full Size: $19 This isn't the first time I've seen Cailyn in my Ipsy bag. I received a purple eyeliner from the brand a couple of bags ago, and I haven't found myself using it since. I heard tons of good things about this product, and can see why. It's completely pigmented, and the included brush is excellent for travel with it. I didn't expect the red colour to be so matte and buildable, but I only have one problem with it. It's not moisturizing. At all. It feels like it shriveled up on my lips as soon as I got it on. A great pigmented lip colour? Yes. A lip balm? No. Make sure to wear Chapstick under this one....

I've found that I've never gravitated towards Almay. I've never heard extraordinary reviews on any of their products, but when I had an awesome coupon, I just couldn't resist. The products I'm reviewing today are 2 of the new Gloss + Balm products, in the colours Apple a Day and Rosy Lipped. I found then at Shoppers Drug Mart, and with my coupons I got one for $1.99, and the other for $2.99, while they were on sale. I've seen them normally retailing for between $8-$10.  They come in typical lip gloss packaging, with the brand displayed on a band at the top, and a textured grey top, kind of like the plastic NARS uses with their packaging. It comes with a doe-foot applicator, and though the tube is see through, do the pretty colours reflect the actual product?  My first impressions of the lip glosses were that they were blotchy to apply, and hard to even out. I could have used a lip brush, but I wanted to use the doe-foot applicator it comes wi...

It's been a while since my last Friday Night Nails post, only because I never find my nails are worthy of being seen on this blog. But I love nail polish, and when I find the perfect combination, I just have to share.  This week I'm wearing Hard Candy's Candy Coated over Sally Hansen Extreme Wear in Breezy Blue. Candy Coated caught my eye when it reminded me of the Maybelline Color Show Polka dots, but it wasn't opaque, like the Polka Dots are. I knew I had the perfect color to match it with in my collection anyways, and it turned out great. I hope to buy more polishes from Hard Candy, they've got a great color range, and I've had no problems with wear.   I also paired it with Essie's Good to Go fast drying top coat, another new favorite. I used to use a top coat, then dry drops, but this top coat acts as both of those things in only one step, and it keeps chipping at bay.  I hope to keep these nail posts consistent, and I hope you girls e...

Good morning ladies! I just discovered the Blogger app so I'm writing this as I wait for my bus, which is cool and productive. I'm not totally satisfied with my amount of empties, but I just didn't find myself using a lot of products in general this month, so that explains it.  Simple makeup removing wipes: These are excellent. I didn't believe the hype on YouTube, but I got these in a teen value pack with some other items and I'm so satisfied. They are a little pricey, I actually purchased another value pack just to get the wiped and justify the price. They can be a little dry, so I store them upside down, but the wipes are thick.  Would repurchase  Truly nail polish remover: I was so tired of this stuff at the end of it. It didn't do a good job, I found myself having to use 3 or 4 cotton balls for both my hands. I switched to 100% acetone remover and though its drying, it works like magic.  Would not repurchase   Bath and Body Works Sele...

Hi girls! So, this month, I told myself I wouldn't splurge too much with makeup, since I really wanted something from the new Marc Jacobs cosmetics line. I quickly got that idea out of my head once I saw the $71 price tag for 6 eyeshadows. I've also taught myself lately to only buy things with coupons, and only when they're on sale, so for me to buy this set was a bit impulsive. I am a huge fan of Benefit, I love the quality of their products, and the packaging is adorable. That being said, I'm still a college student, and my first priority isn't always a new boxed blush. While at work last night, I noticed this in our cosmetics section and I justified it as something I've been waiting for. Sizzlin' Six Value Pack - $30 I googled this kit and I couldn't seem to find it online. I got this at Shoppers Drug Mart and with  my discount I got it for $21, which isn't bad because a sample set of even two of these items at Sephora would be $18. I...

Hi lovelies! I know, this should have been up ages ago, but I just find myself becoming less and less excited about Ipsy bags. I don't know what it is, but the past few haven't truly knocked my socks off and now that I really enjoy "couponing" (more on that later), I'd much rather pay for a full size product. That's not to say I'd ever cancel Ipsy. I'm not crazy. "Glamour Academy" I was pretty satisfied with this month's bag. I really wanted the Urban Decay lipstick, and I was seriously contemplating buying the Smashbox primer at work the other day, so it's great that now I get to try before I buy. Compared to some other bags I've seen, I'm glad I received what I did. The bag itself is kind of cute, I like the colours but the print is a little too silly for my everyday bag.  Urban Decay's Revolution Lipstick in "69" This new line of lipsticks have been advertised as "Creamy, badass, luxury...

Hi Girls! So, this is a super late post, and my August empties is looking a little, well, empty. Out of both busy-ness and neglect, I forgot all about this post. So I apologize to you, my readers, because it's really lame to follow a blog with rare posts. I've got my July Empties today, and I must say that I'm proud of myself. I focused on a lot of my Project Pan and some other things I was determined to see out this month. I apologize for the poor quality! It looks excellent in my picture viewer but somehow converts to crap when I upload it. Skincare Empties Paris Amour Body Lotion - One of my favourite scents from Bath and Body Works, so I did really enjoy it. I will definitely repurchase once I get through my collection of lotions.  Would Repurchase Jergens Natural Glow Lotion - The best self tanner I have ever used. I've tried other things, wipes, tinted gels, everything. I'm pale as pale gets so I've been through them all. Wh...

Hi ladies! It is so darn hot right now, I am beyond happy to be sitting inside typing up a new post. In my journey of July's Project 10 Pan, I've also tried to better rotate the products I'm not focusing on using up. This includes a couple things such as my concealer, primers, and even some new brushes I haven't used as often as I have liked to. I know many girls do weekly makeup bag updates, and this is kind of like that, so depending on the response, I might continue every time I rotate products. I like the quick reviews and learning about how other people use their products. E.L.F. Small Stipple Brush - I really love this brush. I got this in my Target Haul a couple of weeks ago, and I'm sure glad I got it. It's dense, but not too dense, and soft but sturdy. I use it for the blush pictured here (I'll get to it in a minute) but I can also use it to apply my foundation. Real Techniques Detailer Brush - When I first bought this brush, I didn...

Hello, my lovely readers! I was so excited for this month's Ipsy, and now it has finally arrived! I've got a lot to say about what I received, so I'm going to go right ahead. The Bag: There has been so much discussion about the bag itself this month. I've been generally pleased with the other bags. I really enjoyed May's bag, and I've been satisfied with the other bags. I'm not ordering Ipsy for the makeup bags, I'm ordering it for the makeup! I agree that the bag does look a little immature, but hey, it's summer. I don't care who sees me with a see-through pink plastic makeup bag on vacation, or anywhere else. I like how it'll keep my makeup dry at the pool or beach, and it's just a fun addition.  Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub - Full Size: $32.50 (2 oz), My size: $16.25 (1 oz) I've read on forums that many girls wanted this scrub. I'm happy that I received it, though I don't have much use for it. I hate to ...